America Makes has formed a seven-year, US$322 million, cooperative agreement (CA) with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
The additive manufacturing (AM) organization plans to use the agreement to focus on AM materials, design for AM, education and workforce, and membership.
‘Currently, America Makes sees the greatest need and opportunity resides within the AM materials space,’ a press release said. ‘The lack of materials design data for both metal and polymer is hindering the wider adoption of AM technologies and processes in general, and within specific industries like automotive, for example. […] Within the education and workforce area, overcoming the skills gap that exists in the AM industry is a top priority. It’s not enough to adopt and implement the technology. Full commercialization of AM into production and supply chains cannot be realized without an acute understanding of how to best maximize the design freedoms and benefits of AM.’
This story uses material from America Makes, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
